Jack Berger

TH 300-8

8.22.07

Was Holden Caulfield a Person of Faith?

In the book Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield struggles with the difficult decisions all people make as they become adults. Holden expresses firm opinions about people, sex, and relationships. In dealing with these decisions, he reveals himself as a person of faith.

Holden's values support this claim that he is a person of faith. It becomes clear throughout the novel that Holden strongly values honesty and equality of others. These values present Holden as a very ethical and considerate person. He is outraged by the unequal treatment that others receive and reveres those people who are honest and genuine. Another serious issue for Holden is the issue of 'phoniness". There are many people whom Holden describes as either phony or fake throughout the book that he greatly criticizes. People such as Mr. Haas who doesn't treat parents equally or Stradlater who merely pretends to be a very organized and genuine person greatly irritate Holden. However, characters such as Jane and the younger, and, in Holden's mind at least, still genuine D.B., are greatly respected and admired by Holden. Throughout the book, Holden remains faithful to his values and doesn't simply adjust them as he pleases.

Another challenge Holden faces is the battle of morality and its relationship to sex. Holden is a virgin in this book but is greatly intrigued by sex. While he often pretends to be sexually mature and competent he is constantly debating as to what sex really means to him. This debate is revealed through Holden's incident with the prostitute. The prostitute doesn't even want to talk to Holden before intercourse, but to just get it over with. This lack of concern for sex drives Holden to decline the opportunity. Holden does not go through with the act because he believes in having a meaningful sexual partner and respecting sex. He feels so bad about the encounter that he later makes a donation to two nuns for the exact amount of money that he paid the prostitute. Another example of Holden valuing sex is his outrage that his beloved Jane would have sex with someone that she barely knows, Stradlater. While Holden may seem to be simply lustful and callow in his views of sex, in reality, he greatly values it and wants to have sex with someone that is meaningful to him, an idea that he retains throughout the novel.

Finally, Holden expresses his faith through his relationships and reasons for them. One of the main examples of Holden's views on relationship is his desire to be a "catcher in the rye". Holden wants to be the person to protect children from the corruption of the adult world. Holden values childhood and innocence from corruption and wishes to try and protect and prolong them for others. He also chooses his friends based on his beliefs. For example, one of his favorite people, his sister Phoebe, is a person that is very genuine and has childhood innocence. Holden likes her for these reasons and enjoys her prescence.

Throughout this novel Holden upholds his ethical beliefs as well as his values. Holden puts careful thought into his decisions and judgments of others, which, for the most part, reflect these beliefs. In this fashion, Holden demonstrates his faith in his beliefs and ethics.